TRIGGER WARNING: Eating disorders are discussed in this episode
Calories are universally recognised as a means to measure the amount of energy in foods that are present on the pack of every food we buy. This has been used as a way to monitor the amount of energy we take in through our food and implemented in certain weight loss programmes. In more recent years it has gained a lot more popularity through certain apps. However whilst calories can give some indication of the units of energy in food they do not give any data on the nutritional value and quality of food which is why this method has come under more scrutiny. So much so that the phrase “calories in, calories out” for weight loss is really not that straight forward at all and has been refuted by many. We want to see if calorie counting has any validity or use in helping us to support our health and wellbeing or is it just a total waste of time?
The rules:
Rose has to count calories for a week using an app which will have been calculated according to her age/height/weight and meet the target amount over the course of the week. She has to upload everything she eats and drinks for the duration of the week and note how she is feeling throughout the week both physically and mentally.
Does she find this useful or just a way to feed into a dysfunctional relationship with our food?
